Skulduggery Pleasant: The Remnant
by Divergent-From-Dauntless
Summary: Valkyrie and Skulduggery go looking for Tanith Low and Billy-Ray Sanguine. But there is a mysterious murder that leave the group wondering what else will happen.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Heyy awesome people who are reading (and hopefully reviewing *wink wink, nudge nudge ;D) this story! This is my first fanfic so be nice please ;3**

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant. I wish I did, but I just do not have the witty genius of Derek Landy.**

We walked through the graveyard, the strong Irish wind whipping my dark hair across my face. I pushed it behind my ears and concentrated on walking. There was all sorts of debris that threatened to trip me up and make me fall flat on my face. But despite my best efforts, I tripped. Before I could hit the ground, a hand grabbed onto my arm and pulled me up. It was Skulduggery Pleasant, skeleton detective.

"Thanks," I said, brushing myself off.

He shrugged, "Not everybody can match my grace."

I grunted and started walking again.

We were meeting with Various Porter, an adept who may have any leads to where Tanith Low and Billy-Ray Sanguine had gone. I sighed. I missed Tanith. She was like an older sister to me.

Suddenly, Skulduggery stopped.

"Various, stop playing hide and seek," he called out.

A man in his mid-30's stepped out of the treeline bordering the cemetery. He had dark-brown hair and brown eyes. He also had a slightly crooked nose. He was basically average-looking.

"Ah, Mr. Pleasant," he said, strolling over to us with his hands in his pockets, "It's very nice to see you, my old friend."

"We weren't friends," Skulduggery replied.

"Oh, well, acquaintances. I remember that time when-"

Skulduggery silenced him by pulling out his gun.

"Porter. You know why we're here. Give us the information or I'll blow your brains out."

Various took a step back.

"If you want the damned information so bad, then why don't you ask the precious China Sorrows for it?"

Skulduggery uttered a soft growl.

We hadn't been in touch with China since Skulduggery found out she was the one who set up the trap where his wife and child was killed. He refused to talk to her, even when the situation needed it. Like now.

"Porter. Just give us the information and you'll walk away from here without a scratch on you."

Various smirked and looked at me, "I've been told this little lady had a sharp tongue, yet she has remained completely silent this whole time. What's wrong, cutie pie? Cat got your tongue or are you just intimidated by me?"

In a flash I had grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him. If he moved one muscle it would hurt so much it would force him to his knees in pain.

"Bite me," I hissed, "and don't call me cutie pie. Ever." I twisted his arm and he howled in pain. I walked back to Skulduggery's side and watched Various start to rise and spit out dirt. He grimaced and said tightly, "You've got her well trained, Pleasant, I'll give you that. Like a dog, I'd say."

I started to advance towards him, clicking my fingers to crate a spark and feeding my energy to the spark until it grew into a flame. But Skulduggery put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to stay where I was. I glared at Porter but eventually stepped back, dousing the flames.

"Now that we're getting along so well, you should probably give us the information," Skulduggery said cheerfully, although he still had his gun pointed at Various's face.

"You know what, I don't think I will," he said, and started walking away.

Skulduggery leapt from my side and tackled Porter, taking him to the ground in a puff of dust.

I could make out the glint of a knife amidst the struggle.

All of a sudden, I heard a faint pop and a screech of pain. The dust settled and I saw Various holding both of Skulduggery's arms triumphantly.

I was overcome by a wave of anger and drew upon the shadows. Due to being in a graveyard, I had more power. The energy of death coursed through me, disgusting and invigorating. My black necromancer's ring was as cold as ice on my finger.

I sent the shadows hurtling at Porter, knocking him off his feet and 5ft into the air. I ran up to where he landed and he came at me with a growl. I repeatedly elbowed him in the face and the stomach, but he grabbed hold of my arms and spun me around, letting go. I landed on the ground hard, knocking my head and my breath rushing out of me. I heard a grunt and saw Skulduggery, having recovered his arms, tackling Porter to the ground yet again. I ran into the fray, whipping my shadows at Various. I sharpened the shadows into daggers and held them at his neck.

He froze.

"Move one step and I'll plunge these into your neck without a second thought," I warned.

He slumped down, accepting defeat. I allowed a moment to revel in my victory.

"Now Porter," Skulduggery said menacingly, "This is the last time I will ask you. Where is Tanith Low and Billy-Ray Sanguine hiding? And don't even think of trying to worm your way out of this one or I will tell my partner here to slit your throat."

Various swallowed loudly.

"Th-They're at an a-abandoned warehouse j-just outside of L-London," He squeaked.

I looked at Skulduggery, he nodded.

I withdrew the shadows and Porter scrambled away, into the darkness.

Skulduggery started walking towards the rusty gates that were the entrance and exit to the cemetery.

I hurried up to him.

"There's probably loads of abandoned warehouses outside of London, how are we going to find the right one?" I asked.

"Ahh, logic, my dear Valkyrie," he said, tapping his skull.

I was puzzled. "What?"

He sighed. "A while back, me and Tanith was really bored and she started asking me about my life. I told her a couple things and asked her about hers. She told me a story about when she was little, she often went to an abandoned warehouse, not far from her home. My best guess is that they are there."

I frowned. "But it's the remnant inside Tanith, not Tanith herself," I pointed out.

"Yes, but the remnant still has all of tanith's memories and, since she could remember it then, It must've been a strong one. When the remnnant was thinking of a hideout, that warehouse must've just popped up out of no-where."

"But if she told you about it, wouldn't the remnant remember that and immediately put it aside as somewhere not safe?"

"Valkyrie, it was a very boring day. For people as old as me and Tanith, those days pass in a blink of an eye and we barely remember them."

"Oh."

We had reached the car by now. The car was a 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental. I sank into its warm, leather seats as Skulduggery slid in and started up the car.

"Seatbelt," he said.

I clicked my seatbelt in.

"So, I was thinking we grab a plane in the morning to London. What do you say?" Skulduggery asked.

"Can't. I have to babysit Alice. Mum and Dad are going out tomorrow."

"Ah," Skulduggery said, nodding. "Family does come first. How about I grab a plane over to London by myself and you ask Fletcher to teleport you there."

I groaned.

"Skul, you know things have been a bit... tense between me and Fletcher since our breakup. Why can't you just wait?"

"Because I don't want to," Skulduggery replied.

"Fine. But you have to ask him. He's scared of you."

"Why would anyone be scared of me?"

We stopped at the Pier outside my house and I handed Skulduggery my phone.

"Why do I have to use your phone?" Skulduggery asked, "I have a perfectly good one of my own."

I sighed.

"Fine then. Use your one."

"That I will," Skulduggery said, slipping his phone out of his pocket.

He hit speed dial and everything was silent for a few moments. A rare feat when you're with Skulduggery. Then he started to talk.

"Ah, Fletcher, my boy. How are you doing?"

He paused

"How do you know I want something?"

Another pause.

"Okay I do want something. I want you to take Valkyrie to London the day after tomorrow."

More pausing.

"Look boy, if you don't want that porcupine hair of yours to vanish in the next week, then you will teleport Valkyrie to London tomorrow," he said in a menacing growl.

One more pause.

"Cheers," he said brightly, and hung up. "Okay, it's all sorted."

"Okay."

"You should thank me."

"For what?"

"That."

"Why?"

He sighed. "Kids these days. No manners at all."

I punched him in the arm.

"I heard that," I said.

"Okay. Well you should go. I heard baby's don't sleep. So you're gonna need alot of it."

"Mmkay. See ya."

I arrived outside my bedroom window, manipulating the air so that it carried me up to the sill. The reflection greeted me.

"Do you want to resume your life?" It said.

I nodded and it got into the mirror. I touched the mirror and all of the reflections memories came flooding into my mind.

Roast beef for dinner. Got a B on my math test. Normal things I don't do or have. I shrugged out of my black clothes and pulled on my football jersey and shorts. Then I crawled into bed and the minute my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Hey everybody! Another chapter just for you! Don't forget to review! (OMG that rhymed XD)**

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy does. Because he is awesome.**

"See you later, Stephanie!" my mum called from the door. "Desmond! Come on! We're going to be late!"

My dad hurried down the stairs, fixing his jacket. Mum insited he wore something formal for the occasion.

"Desmond... Where are your pants?" she asked.

Dad looked down and noticed he wore only boxers.

"Oh! I knew I was forgetting something!" he said while rushing back upstairs.

"Sometimes I do worry about him," she sighed.

I smiled. It was at rare times like this when I could truely appreciate how loony my family was.

"Okay. All ready," dad said as he arrived back at the door.

"Bye, Steph," he called out while getting into the car.

As the taxi sped down the road, Alice started to cry. I grabbed a milk bottle, put it in the microwave and tested it. I went over to Alice's cot and tried to feed her but she refused it. I set the bottle down and tried rocking her to sleep.

Then I saw a shadow outside the window.

I gently put Alice back into her cot and crept to the window.

Another shadow.

My necromancer ring started turning as cold as dry ice.

I rushed outside, looking for the source of the shadows. I couldn't find them.

Then I heard rustling in the bushes.

I slowly crept towards the sound, drawing shadows into one of my hands. With the other hand, I pushed at the air, parting the bush's leaves.

What I saw there nearly made me scream.

A man lay there, in a pool of his own blood. His eyes were still open, staring unseeingly at the twinkling of stars just beginning to show in the early night sky.

I immediately rushed inside to check on Alice. Thankfully she was still in her cot.

I whipped out my phone. I had to get to the sanctuary.

"Fletcher?" I said. This wasn't a time to be an arguing ex-couple. There had been a murder. Right outside my own home.

"What's wrong?" came his reply. He knows I only call when it's urgent.

"I need to get to the sanctuary. Now."

"I'm on my way."

I hung up and went into defensive mode. The killer might be still out there. If he is, I'll put up a bloody good fight before he gets to my baby sister.

There was a soft 'pop' and Fletcher appeared in the room.

"What's wrong?" he asked me again.

"No time. We have to get to the sanctuary. Can you get Alice's pram? I can't leave her here with the reflection. It can't fight for it's life, let alone Alice's."

He nodded and disappeared with another soft 'pop'. A minute later he reappeared with Alice's pram.

I softly lowered Alice into it, buckled her up and held onto the handle, my other hand I put on Fletcher's shoulder. A moment later we were in The Elder's council room. Alice immediately started crying.

Three cleavers sprang at us.

"Damn, didn't think that through," Fletcher whispered to himself.

Erskine Ravel looked over and saw us.

"Cleavers, they are welcome here," he called. The cleavers immediately went back to their posts.

"Ah, Valkyrie, Fletcher. So nice to see you. This must be Alice," he said, striding towards us.

In spite of the situation, I smiled.

"Hello, Erskine," I said, "It's nice to see you too."

"Well, let's get to business," he said, "why have you come into the council room unannounced with a baby?"

"I would like to know that too," Fletcher said.

I told them the whole story of the shadows, the rustling in the bush and finally the dead body.

"Hmm," Ravel said, digesting the information, "did you know this person?"

"I don't think so," I said, "But then again, I might not recognise him with blood covering most of his features."

"'Okay. I'll send out some people to pick up the body. We'll get back to you if we figure out the person is. I think you'll have to pause the search for Sanguine and Tanith. This is a more pressing matter."

"How is it more pressing?" asked Fletcher.

"It's happening right here, right now. Whilst Tanith and Sanguine have been relatively quiet the past couple of weeks. Plus, it can't be a coincidence the murder just happened to be right outside Valkyrie's house."

I mulled it over. He was right, of course.

"Okay. I'll call Skulduggery and tell him to pause the search," I said.

"Good," Erskine said, "is there anything else you would like to discuss?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Well, it sounds like you have a baby to attend to," he said with a hint of a smile. I realised that Alice was still crying.

"Oh, yeah, well thanks Erskine," I said, putting my hand on Fletcher's shoulder again.

In a flash, we were back at my house. I picked up Alice, who was now crying even harder. I don't think she likes teleporting.

"Ahem," Fletcher said.

I forgot he was in the room.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay on your own?" Fletcher asked.

I smiled and nodded.

"This isn't the first time danger's followed me to my home," I pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah," Fletcher replied.

We continued to stand there awkwardly, just staring at each other and me clutching a screaming baby.

"I-" he began, but then stopped himself. "See you soon," he said instead.

"Kay," I replied, giving him a small smile.

He replied with a week smile of his own, then vanished.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Hey hey hey everyone! Another chapter! I'm on a roll!... Rolling in the deep, that is ;D  
>You: That didn't make any sense...<br>Me: I know :(**

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, I do not have an imagination big enough to support creating a skeleton detective. Derek Landy, though, has a immensely big imagination.**

The next morning, I called out my reflection and, again, called Fletcher. When I rang Skulduggery, he refused to be teleported home. He said that he needed to test out his flying skills, so he would fly home on his own.

I was getting pretty sick of having to call Fletcher all the time. I missed riding in the Bentley. I had fallen in love with it as much as Skulduggery. But he won't let me drive it. He says that I'm a reckless driver and even if the Bentley gets bumped one time, it would fall apart. No magic would be able to fix it, no matter how strong.

I donned my black work gear and headed out to the pier to meet Fletcher.

I stood there, watching the waves roll past. I had so many memories here. Good and bad.

When I was a child, I'd race my friends to the end of the pier and jump off, narrowly missing the rocks that, if you didn't jump far enough, would break your bones. Here was also where I narrowly escaped being killed by a group of blood-thirsty vampires, and here Fletcher saved me from the horror that was Caelen.

So many memories.

I heard a soft pop behind me but I still didn't turn around. I knew who it was. The little pop had become so familiar.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the soft sea breeze. The smell of salt in the air always sharpened my senses. Helped me think straight when my thoughts were muddled.

"So, where are we going?" Fletcher asked.

"Ghastly's shop," I replied, without turning around.

"Why?" Fletcher asked, puzzled.

"We need to get you some new clothes."

His face lit up.

"You mean superhero never-get-hurt stuff, like you?" he asked.

I sighed, "Yes, Fletcher. Superhero never-get-hurt stuff like me."

"Yes! Does this mean I'm an official part of the team?"

Huh. I never thought about it like that...

"Yeah, I guess it does..." I replied hesitantly.

Before I could stop him, he enveloped me in a huge hug and telepored us outside Ghastly Bespoke's shop.

I breathed in the familiar scent of his hairgel. I sent me back to better times.

But they were in the past.

I started to let go, and he let go too, blushing and looking down.

Why is he blushing?

"Come on then," he said quietly, and led the way into the shop.

Ghastly greeted us with a smile.

"Valkyrie. Fletcher. Right on time," he said. He turned to Fletcher. "I believe these are yours," he said, handing him a soft, brown parcel.

Fletcher's face split into a big grin and he grabbed the bag and started looking around.

"Changing room's in the back," Ghastly said. By the tone of his voice, he was amused.

Fletcher rushed off in that direction.

"Hi, Ghastly. How are you?" I asked.

"Good. How's the hunt for Tanith going?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

Ghastly was taking Tanith's disappearance hard. He really liked her before the remnant inhabited her body. Now he's just a shadow of his former self.

"Well, we had to be called off," I said hesitantly.

"What?" Ghastly shouted, "that should be your number one priority! Who called it off? And why?"

"Well, there was a murder right outside my house and Erskine called it off."

Ghastly calmed down a bit after that.

"But do you have any new leads on where Tanith is?" he asked.

"Well, yes," I admitted, "We found out they might be hiding in an abandoned warehouse just out of London. They should still be there by the time we get off this case."

Ghastly's eyed twinkled. "Good," he said excitedly.

Then Fletcher came into the room.

He wore a black button-up longsleeve shirt with a navy blue trimming. He also wore black jeans and black combat boots. His hair was slightly dishivelled from changing, but still in its spiky do. His outfit was overall more casual then mine. Except for the hair.

"How do I look?" he asked, twirling.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Pretty good," I said.

"I know. It all fits perfectly!" he exclaimed.

I chuckled, "That's the magic of Ghastly."

He sat down opposite Ghastly.

"So, Ghast, how come you're not at the sanctuary doing some elder stuff?" he asked.

"I got a day off," Ghastly replied simply.

He turned to me.

"So, when is Skulduggery arriving?" he asked me.

"Any minute now," I said, looking at my phone.

At that second, Skulduggery strode through the door, soaking wet.

"You're a bit damp," Fletcher said, smirking.

Skulduggery manipulated the water that clung to him so it evaporated into a small cloud that hovered in front of him. He then sent the cloud over to Fletcher and let loose. All of the water that was stored in the cloud rained on Fletcher, soaking him and making his hair wilt.

"My hair!" he screamed, and teleported away.

If Skulduggery had a face, I'd bet he'd be grinning right now.

"So, Valkyrie, what are we doing again?" he asked.

"We have to go to the sanctuary and be detectives," I replied.

"Ah. I remember."

"But we need to wait for Fletcher now. Which will probably take a while. You know how he loves his hair."

"Oh," Skulduggery said, "I didn't think that one through. Well, I'll be in the back room, meditating, if you need me. That flight took alot out of me."

He left us, leaving Ghasly and me in an awkward silence.

"Want some tea?" Ghastly eventually asked.

"Yes please," I replied.

"Yup. Everybody loves a good cup of tea."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- RAWR!**

**Lol, Jokes! I'm not a dinosaur!... Or am I? *Strokes chin thoughtfully***

**I went off topic...**

**You: There was no topic!**

**Me: Oh...**

**Anyway... Another chapter is here! Enjoy it... While you can! MUAHAHAHA!**

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy does. ALL HAIL DEREK LANDY!**

An hour later, an angry looking Fletcher appeared in the middle of the room.  
>"Where is Skulduggery?" he asked through clenched teeth.<p>

"In the back, meditating. Why?" I asked.

He didn't give me an answer. All he did was give a savage grin and stride to the back.

"He's gonna do something he'll regret," I said to Ghastly.

"Yup," he said back, sipping his 5th cup of tea.

A minute later, Fletcher appeared in the middle of the room, dusting his hands.

"Oh my god, Fletcher. What did you do?"

"That will teach him to mess with my hair," he muttered.

A moment later, an angry sounding Skulduggery stormed into the room.

"Where is my hat!" he roared.

Fletcher gave a yelp and disappeared. Skulduggery strode to the bathroom door and pulled a terrified-looking Fletcher out of it.

"Where is my hat, pinnapple head?" he asked menacingly.

"I-In Mexico," Fletcher squeaked.

Skulduggery grabbed the front of Fletcher's new shirt and pulled him closer.

"Take me there. Now."

Skulduggery and Fletcher disappeared.

"Stupid, stupid boy," Ghastly muttered, "he should know better than to lay one finger on Skulduggery's hat."

I grunted in agreement.

Skulduggery and Fletcher reappeared and Skulduggery cocked his hat to a dangerous angle on his head.

"Now everything's back to the way it should. Fletcher's hair resembles a porcupine, I have got my hat back and we are on our way to the sanctuary. Let's go!" he said cheerfully.

I looked over to Ghastly and he shrugged. I followed Skulduggery out to the Bentley and got in shotgun, Fletcher rode in the back.

On the ride to the sanctuary, Fletcher silently simmered, angry that his plan had been foiled. Skulduggery, on the other hand, was whistling. How he whistled, nobody knew. People would've thought it wouldn't be possible to whistle without lips or a tongue.

Then again, I've seen alot of impossibe things in my short lifetime.

We entered the sanctuary unapposed, as we were expected. As we walked along the corridors, numerous sorcerors nodded their hello's.

We entered the elder's council room.

There were three chairs in the council room; the one in the middle was reserved for the grand mage- Erskine Ravel sat on it. Madame Mist was sitting on the chair on the left and the chair on the right was empty. That was Ghastly's seat.

Madame Mist and Erskine were having an argument.

"I do not think you should have given Elder Bespoke a day off," she said. At least I think she said it. I couldn't see any feature on her face due to the black veil she wore.

"The magical community still needs his impervious clothes. We can do without him just for a day, can't we, Madame Mist?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.

Madame Mist didn't answer. Instead she turned to us.

"Miss Cain, Mr Pleasant, Mr Renn. What brings you here?" she asked.

Erskine answered for us.

"They are here to learn about the dead body Valkyrie found last night," he said.

He turned to us, "please come with me."

We exited the elder's council room and started traversing the many corridors that branched out of the main corridors of the sanctuary randomly. Along the way, Erskine supplied us with some information.

"We expect the assassin to be mortal, as the victim was killed without magic and due to China Sorrows's symbols, which she put up a while ago, that alerted us when a magic user entered Haggard," he explained, "we also figured out who the person was."

"Who?" I asked.

"I'll tell you inside. Anybody could be eavesdropping here. The walls of this room are magically protected so nobody outside can hear us," Erskine said as we stopped outside of a room guarded by cleavers.

He motioned the cleavers aside and we stepped through. In the middle of the room, on a sort of operating table, was the man I found. I could easily make out his features without the blood and gore. A straight nose, thin lips, pale skin with a few not very noticable scars and brown hair. I also noticed that they didn't bother to close his eyes and that his eyes were a dark brown, bordering on black.

"This is Travis Gunn. He was a detective for the London sanctuary. He's been missing since Friday."

"Why would they haul him all they way to Ireland and then kill him outside Valkyrie's house?" Skulduggery asked.

Erskine shrugged. "You're the detectives," he said.

"Maybe it was as a warning," I suggested.

I shuddered. That was a very hard thing to say. Acknowledging the fact that somebody wants to kill you.

"Maybe," Skulduggery said thoughtfully. "Where was Gunn last seen?" he asked.

"I don't know, you're going to have to ask the London sanctuary about that one."

Skulduggery cursed. "Damn. I only just came back from London."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- Hey fanfictioners! Chapter 5, come get it while it's hot!**

**You: Do you ever make sense?**

**Me: No, I do not!**

**So, don't forget to review! It makes my day :3**

**I do not own Skuldggery Pleasant. Derek Landy does. I AM NOT WORTHY!**

**On with the story! **

"Ah, London," Skulduggery said as we stood in the middle of the street, "Beautiful city, this." He had his facade on. This time it was a man with grey eyes and brown hair.

"It's raining," I said.

"Rain is good. It helps stuff grow, cools you down and disguises your scent from hungry vampires."

"Yeah. And it's so like you to look on the bright side," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It's just London brings out some memories," he said.

"Well, the sooner we can get out of here, the better," Fletcher muttered.

"I thought London was your home-town," I said to Fletcher.

"There's a reason I moved to Ireland," he said. He didn't give a further explanation.

"Come on," Skulduggery said as he started walking, "the London Sanctuary should be up here."

We walked down the street, Skulduggery manipulating the water around him so he stayed dry and me manipulating the air around me and Fletcher to stay dry. A few drops of water dripped through my sheild but I didn't mind. I made a mental note to get Skulduggery to teach me water manipulation. Soon.

We went down an alleyway covered with amature graffiti. We reached a dead end.

"Here we are," Skulduggery said, stopping.

"That's a brick wall," Fletcher said.

"But not an ordinary brick wall," Skulduggery said matter-of-factly.

"How so?" I asked.

"It's a magical brick wall."

"That's what you said about China's stairs. But it turned out they weren't magical in the slightest."

"This brick wall is absolutely magical," Skulduggery insisted, "just watch."

He tapped some bricks in an unknown order with his finger. The bricks folded outwards and a small doorway appeared.

"It's like Diagon Alley in Harry Potter," Fletcher breathed.

I turned to him, "You read?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"No. But I do watch movies," he replied.

"This is, in fact, Diagon Alley. The mortal J.K. Rowling overheard some sorcerors talking about it and took it on as her own idea. Nobody confronted her as it would've been taken on as completely fiction," he said, shrugging.

He walked through the doorway, leaving me and Fletcher with our mouths hanging open. We soon took after him.

We entered a long, dark corridor. Skulduggery had to manifest a flame so we could see. We soon entered a large cavern. Across the cavern was another door. We walked towards the door and it opened automatically, revealing an administrator.

The administrator smiled. She was a pretty lady, her brown hair up in a bun and her mouth painted with bright red lipstick. She wore a white ruffled blouse along with a tight black skirt that went up to her knees. She finished the look off with huge black high-heels, a pearl necklace and a pearl bracelet.

"We're here to see the Grand Mage," Skulduggery said.

"Do you have an appointment?" The administrator asked.

"I don't know. Grand Mage Ravel might have booked us one," he replied.

"And who are you?" she asked.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I still have my disguise on," Skulduggery said.

"Disguise?"

Skulduggery tapped the two tattoos on his collarbones and his face melted away, revealing his gleaming skull.

"Oh. The Skeleton Detective. You do have an appointment. Right this way," The Administrator said, leading the way.

The london sanctuary was more organised than the Irish sanctuary. The corridors didn't branch off randomly as they did in the Irish sanctuary, for example.

Many sorcerers stared at the strange trio that passed them. But we ignored them. I focussed my gaze on The Administrator. How she walked in those high-heels was a mystery. The more I stared, the more I decided she walked like a penguin.

We soon arrived at the custom waiting area outside the Elder's council room.

"Just wait here. The Grand Mage will be with you when he can," she said before walking off.

"I thought we were done with all this waiting when Erskine became Grand Mage," Skulduggery muttered.

A half hour later, a tall old lady walked out of the council room. She had hair as black as night and a small nose. But she had wise, pale blue eyes. She looked like she was in her mid-forties.

"Ah, Mr Pleasant," she said, "what brings you to London?"

"Hello, Grand Mage Cerulean," Skulduggery said, "before I answer your question, though, I think we should get away from anybody who might be listening to our conversation."

Grand Mage Cerulean nodded and gestured for us to follow her into the Elder's council room.

The London council room was identical to the Irish one.

Grand Mage Cerulean sat in the middle chair. The other two were empty. The elders were probably out on business.

"Before you go on, why don't you introduce me to your companions."

"Oh. Right. Grand Mage Cerulean, this is Valkyrie Cain, my partner and Fletcher Renn, the last teleporter. Valkyrie, Fletcher, this is Grace Cerulean, the Grand Mage of London."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Valkyrie Cain. What an unusual name. And the last teleporter. You have quite the group, Mr Pleasant."

"Yes. They are quite extraordinary. Not as extraordinary as me, of couse. But pretty extraordinary."

"Cheers," I said.

"No problem."

"So, now we have got to know each other, why have you come here?" Grand Mage Cerulean asked.

"We've come to find out where Travis Gunn was last seen," Skulduggery said.

"Whay would you want to know that?" she asked, "he's been missing since Friday."

"He was discovered two days ago."

"Oh. Well the last time I saw him, he was on a case. There were a few murders 6 kilometers north from here and he went to check it out. We haven't heard from him since."

"Well, at least we have a lead now," Skulduggery said.

"Is that all you came here for?" asked Grand Mage Cerulean.

"Yes."

"Then you are dismissed. Good luck."

"Thank you," Skulduggery said with a small bow, and then he left, with us trailing behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- This is just a short, fun one :)**

**I've got writers block at the moment.**

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant. If you looked above the title, you would know that Derek Landy did.**

**Skulduggery Pleasant. Kicking evil very hard in the face.**

Before we searched the crime scene, we booked a hotel for the night. Skulduggery didn't have to sleep, but me and Fletcher sure did.

Due to all of the money Skulduggery earns but doesn't spend, we were able to afford a fancy hotel. One with an all-you-can-eat buffet, game room and flat screen TV's.

Classy, I know.

The hotel was called The Crown Hotel.

We entered the lobby, walking directly underneath a huge chandelier. I was paranoid that the chandelier would fall, crushing us beneath its immense weight.

Skulduggery had his ever-changing facade on. This time it was a man with jet-black hair and bright green eyes.

It was rather handsome.

All the women stared as he walked past. Then stared even more at Fletcher's hair.

Inconspicuous, we were.

We approached the desk-lady. she stared and finally stuttered, "may I help you, sir?"

"Yes please, room for 3," Skulduggery said in his velvety smooth voice. I looked behind me and saw a lady, about 20, pretending to faint in front of her friends while they giggled.

Disgusting.

The lady handed Skulduggery his keys and we walked out. The load of eyes I could feel peering at my back made me feel uncomfortable.

We got into the elevator and started going up. Cheesy elevator music came on through the small speakers.

There was an awkward silence.

"Well," said Fletcher, "that was eventful."

I broke.

I started laughing so hard tears welled up in my eyes. Fletcher soon joined in and we were rolling on the floor of the elevator.

"Children," Skulduggery muttered.

We soon recovered, albeit a few snickers, and arrived at our floor.

We walked to room 76 and Skulduggery unlocked and opened the door.

The room was nice with a plush, white carpet and a white leather sofa facing a huge flat-screen TV. We walked in and Fletcher uttered a low whistle.

Skulduggery tapped his tattoos, reverting back to his skeleton form.

"This is nice," he said.

"Yes," I agreed, "Very nice."

With further exploration, we found out that there was three rooms branching off. Bedrooms, to be exact. They all had queen-sized beds with fluffy pillows and an ensuite.

"Well, if you excuse me, I am going to have a shower," Fletcher said.

"No, you're not," I said.

"huh?"

"If you're gonna be part of the team, you need to learn how to fight," I said.

"So is Skulduggery going to teach me?" asked Fletcher.

"No," I said, baring a savage grin, "I am."

"Oh no no no no-"

I tackled him.

"Well this is going to be fun!" exclaimed Skulduggery happily.

An hour later, Fletcher had numerous bruises, was breathing heavily and had sweat pouring off him in buckets.

I, however, had no bruises, was breathing peacefully and hadn't broken a sweat.

"Uh, Fletcher," Skulduggery said, "I think you should just stick to teleporting behind someone and whacking them in the back of the head."

"So...do...I," Fletcher wheezed. "Now, if you don't mind, I am going to have a shower."

"Kay," I said, "I'm going to bed."

I walked into the bedroom, changed into my oversized T-shirts and shorts and went to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- I'M BACK!  
>You probably didn't notice I was gone… Forever alone<br>ANYWAY I apologise for my absence, I thought of writing, looked over at my laptop and collapsed.  
>Anybody else get that?<br>No?  
>Just me?<br>So, I'll try posting again, but my school break is over :( and I might not be able to post much…  
>BUT I SHALL TRY, FOR ASLAN AND FOR NARNIA!<br>I know you missed my randomness ;D**

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant. If I did, it would be suckish. DEREK LANDY IS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, THE AWESOME CREATOR!**

"Well that's not right…" Skulduggery said as he consulted the map of London he was holding in his gloved hands, "It says that 6 kilometres north of here is the middle of nowhere."  
>"Skulduggery," I said, "You're holding the map upside-down."<br>"Ah," Skulduggery said as he turned the map the right way up. "This is better. It says 6 kilometres north of here is an abandoned underground train station."  
>"Okay, I'll just teleport there, then," Fletcher said.<br>"No!" Skulduggery exclaimed, "They might have set up enchantments around the place. You need to stay with us."  
>"I'm not walking 6 kilometres," Fletcher said, crossing his arms.<br>"Who said we were walking?" Skulduggery said as he started walking in a seemingly random direction.  
>"What else are we going to do?" I asked.<br>"I have a back-up car lying around here somewhere."  
>"No. I am not riding in one of your back-up cars. Ever. Again."<br>"It's either that or walk," Skulduggery said in a sing-song voice.  
>"Can't Fletcher teleport us, like, a street over?" I asked.<br>Skulduggery sighed.  
>"Fine," he said, "we'll meet at the entrance to the train station, okay?"<br>"Okay," me and Fletcher both agreed.  
>"Fletcher put his hand on my shoulder and we arrived at the street just before the station. I could see the entrance- a row of concrete steps with metal railings leading down.<br>We sat on the metal railings and waited for Skulduggery. He arrived 45 minutes later.  
>Our jaws dropped.<br>Skulduggery walked out of the car. If he had a face, I knew he'd be grinning.  
>"DUDE!" Fletcher exclaimed, running towards the jet-black car that Skulduggery was leaning against.<br>"DUDE!" he exclaimed again, he was now running his hand over the sleek-black paintjob.  
>"DUDE! This- this is a Special Edition Hennessey Viper Venom 700NM!"<br>"Yup," Skulduggery replied casually, looking at Fletcher with amusement.  
>"There are only 7 in existence!"<br>"Yup," Skulduggery replied.  
>Fletcher looked at the car with admiration.<br>"Why don't you drive this around more often?" Fletcher asked.  
>"The Bentley is more low- profile," Skulduggery replied, shrugging.<br>I know, it sounds absurd. But it's true.  
>"Come on, then," Skulduggery said, leading the way down the steps.<br>The train station stank of mildew and dust. Trains had stopped coming here for a long time, as there was no-one to pick up.  
>"Okay. Valkyrie, you go that way with Fletcher. I'll go this way," Skulduggery said, pointing in opposite directions.<br>I nodded and headed off in my direction with Fletcher.  
>We walked. Our footsteps echoed around us, so it sounded like a group of people were walking.<br>I could also hear the scuttling and squeaking of rats.  
>Ew.<br>I couldn't help but remember the time when a rat got stuck in my hair.  
>I shuddered.<br>Super ew.  
>We walked and walked. I was searching the walls for any sign.<br>I heard something behind me.  
>I turned around, but there was nothing. I dismissed it as just my imagination.<br>As soon as I turned around, I heard it again. This time, Fletcher heard it, too.  
>"What was that?" he asked, turning around with me. I peered closely at the walls. Nothing.<br>A rat ran across my vision.  
>Disgusting.<br>But good, I guess. It meant that the rat was the one making the noise, not some stalker.  
>"Just a rat," I said to Fletcher, turning back around.<br>Then I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.  
>Cracks in the wall.<br>I had just realised my mistake.  
>I tried to yell out to Skulduggery.<br>But then everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- WOAH! ANOTHER CHAPTER! WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?  
>REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!<br>Please?  
>It really makes my day, to know that some people actually like my writing and takes time to read it, because one thing you can't get back is time and I feel privileged that you are giving yours to my story <strong>**  
>So enjoy!<br>****Until next time.**

I woke up in a dark room with stone walls. It was cold and damp and small. My claustrophobia threatened to emerge but I held it at bay by force of will. I took in my position. I was chained to a wall by my wrists. I tugged at the metal chain, but it didn't give. I also tried manifesting a flame, but I couldn't.  
>Damn. The chains restrict my powers.<br>I heard a moan to the left of me and saw Fletcher chained to a different wall. I guessed he was knocked out too.  
>But the real question was, by whom?<br>"Fletch?" I whispered over to him. He only groaned and moved his head.  
>"Fletch!" I whispered again, a bit louder and a bit more urgently.<br>"What?" came his slurred answer.  
>"Are you okay?" I asked.<br>He slowly opened his eyes and squinted from the dim light that was emanating from the single light bulb that was hanging from the ceiling. He looked over at me.  
>"I'm fine. The question is, are you okay?" he asked.<br>I was puzzled.  
>"I feel fine, why?" I asked.<br>"First of all, I saw you get knocked out back there. It was a pretty big fist, although I didn't see who it belonged to. Second, who knows what they could've done to you, and third, half your face is covered in blood."  
>I could reach my face with my hands, so I gently ran my fingers along my left cheek. It was true. When I looked at them, they were covered in blood.<br>A simple fist couldn't have done that to me.  
>Then I remembered the cracks in the wall.<br>"No. That's not possible!" I exclaimed.  
>"What's not possible?" Fletcher asked.<br>It was at that moment when Billy-Ray Sanguine walked into the room.  
>"Howdy darlin'," he said to me, "evening dimwit," he said to Fletcher.<br>"Hey! You can't say that! I am now officially part of the team! See, look at my clothes."  
>"Yes, they're very nice. Now Valkyrie," he said, turning to me, "a little bird told me that you and the Skeleton Detective were trying to find me and Tanith. You see, we don't want to be found. So I'm just gonna kill you. Slowly and painfully. The thing is, I just couldn't wait. So I already started."<br>I gasped and my hand flew to my cheek. I could feel a gash there.  
>Sanguine grinned.<br>"That's right, not so sweet cheeks, I got my little straight razor here and cut open your skin. What are you going to do about it?"  
>"Skulduggery's going to kill you," I said through clenched teeth.<br>Sanguine laughed.  
>"I don't think so. We caught your little detective too. He's in one of our more… suitable rooms at the moment."<br>"How did you catch us?" Fletcher asked, "I thought your stomach was all messed up from when Val cut you with Tanith's sword."  
>Sanguine scowled at the memory.<br>"Well, remember that little birdie I told you about? He's also a doctor."  
>My eyes widened as I put two and two together.<br>Then Tanith walked into the room.  
>Followed by Doctor Nye.<br>"Doctor Nye!" Fletcher exclaimed, "Help us! Come on, get us out of here!"  
>Nye laughed. The laugh was cold, unforgiving.<br>"I'm afraid I can't do that, Fletcher," he said.  
>"You see good old Doctor Nye fixed my stomach up. Good as new. In return, all he asked for was you, my sweet Valkyrie."<br>"I never forgave you from the time you escaped my laboratory," he said, "now I can have you all to myself again."  
>I looked at Tanith. Or rather, the remnant that was inhabiting Tanith.<br>"And what do you think about all this?" I asked her.  
>She didn't reply. She only looked away.<br>"Wait. Hold up one second," Fletcher said, "Valkyrie escaped from your laboratory? When? Why? How?"  
>"I would like to know that too," Sanguine said, turning to Nye.<br>"You mean you didn't know?" Nye asked gleefully, "Little miss goody-two-shoes here is Darquesse."  
>I looked down as all but Tanith's gaze trained upon me. Of course Tanith knew. Well, the remnant knew. I was its god after all.<br>"This can't be true," Fletcher whispered.  
>"It is true," Nye said, "she came to me to protect her true name. Which is Darquesse."<br>"No. It's not true. It's not!" Fletcher said, his voice rising, "I don't believe you! You're lying!"  
>"No, Fletcher," I whispered, "it's true."<br>Fletcher's mouth opened in a silent 'O' and he sunk to the ground.  
>Sanguine just looked at me.<br>"Well, this changes things," he said, "I think I'll just have to get rid of you as quick as possible, then, lest you use your powers."  
>Then he advanced towards me, straight razor at the ready."<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- Hi everyone! Another chapter!**  
><strong>My computer's stuffing up so I went through alot to get this to you ;)<strong>

**But it doesn't matter 'CAUSE I LOVE YOU!**

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, The almighty Derek Landy does.**

Billy-Ray Sanguine advanced towards me with his knife. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end. Really, it was better this way. This means that Darquesse won't rise and that the world will be safe.

My parents will be safe.

The point of the blade pricked the place above my heart. This was also good. The end would be quick.

I gritted my teeth.

The blade suddenly came free of my skin. I heard a grunt then a crash. Everything was silent.

I opened my eyes and saw Tanith standing over the unconscious form of Sanguine. She was breathing heavily and had her eyes locked on his face. Deciding that Sanguine was definitely out for the count; Tanith rushed over to me and started undoing my chains. When she was done, she then moved over to Fletcher, who still had his head in his hands.

She unlocked them and started quickly striding to the door.

"Tanith?" I asked. Maybe the real Tanith had found some way to overrule the remnant. To somehow get out of its strong grip.

"No, it's still me," The Remnant hissed, clenching its fists and looking down.

"Why did you save me?" I asked.

The remnant sighed angrily and walked over to the wall. It kicked it.

"This person I am inhabiting has a strong mind. Lots of strong emotions. Especially for you, Val. I share her emotions so I HAD to save you."

The remnant looked at me with wide eyes. It was scared.

I walked up to the remnant.

And I hugged it.

The remnant's body went rigid for a second before relaxing and hesitantly wrapping it's arms around me.

"Just remember," it whispered in my ear, "you might not be so lucky next time."

I ignored it.

I let the remnant go and it stepped back with a bewildered expression.

"Which room is Skulduggery in?" I asked.

"We never caught Skulduggery," The remnant said, "Sanguine was bluffing."

"Oh," I said, "Well that makes our job a whole lot easier."

That was when I realised Doctor Nye was still in the room.

I turned towards him with a growl. He shrank down and cowered in the corner.

"If it was up to me, I'd kill you right now," I growled, "but unfortunately, the Sanctuary still needs a Doctor. So you're coming with us."

Doctor Nye sighed in relief.

I turned towards Tanith.

"Got any handcuffs?" I asked. She handed them over to me without a word.

I bound Nye's hands together with the handcuffs and started to walk out the door.

Someone was missing.

"Fletcher! Come on!" I called.

No answer.

I looked over and saw Fletcher in the exact same position he was in before. I walked over to him and crouched down.

"Fletcher?" I said softly.

He looked up.

"You're Darquesse," he said.

"Yeah."

"You're going to destroy the world."

"Not if I have anything to do about it."

"How long have you known?" he asked.

"Since I saw the Book of Names," I admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Fletcher, this is something to be taken seriously! I didn't tell anyone!" I exclaimed.

"Does Skulduggery know?" Fletcher asked, his voice still quiet.

"Yes," I admitted.

"How?"

"You know how Melancholia tore up that neighbourhood?"

He nodded.

"That wasn't Melancholia. That was Darquesse. Skulduggery saw."

Fletcher looked at me in alarm.

"Don't worry! We're going to sort everything out. Somehow."

"Okay," Fletcher said, standing up. "Let's get out of here."

We walked out of the room, Tanith stayed behind.

We were actually in a basement of an abandoned house. We walked up the steps and into the hallway.

We heard a crash come from the living room and we rushed towards it.

Finding a bewildered Skulduggery and a broken window.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Rescuing you," Skulduggery said, confused, "what are you doing here?"

"Escaping," I said.

Skulduggery looked behind me and saw Doctor Nye.

"What's Nye doing here?" he asked.

"I'll explain at the Sanctuary," I said, "now come on!"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sup peeps!**

**I AM SO SORRY FOR POSTING SO LATE**

**It's just I had BAD writers block.**

**You: No excuses! We hate you now and shall never read your fanfic's again!**

**Me: But-**

**You: NO BUT'S!**

**Well… REVIEW!**

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant. Derek Landy does (and he has REALLY funny dedications. Anyone notice that?)**

I looked behind me as we strode away from our former imprisonment. Looking behind me I saw a small cottage with vines crawling up its side and a butter-yellow door.

The perfect hideout.

Nobody would suspect this to have a prison underneath it. Or it to house two murderers.

I turned back around as we approached the jet black car. We climbed in and Skulduggery immediately shot off. That's weird. No 'seatbelt'.

"Seatbelt," Skulduggery said, as if reading my thoughts.

I clicked my seatbelt in.

"So, what are we going to tell the Sanctuary?" Fletcher asked.

"Everything," I replied.

"Even the part about you being Darquesse?" Fletcher asked, eyebrow raised.

"Everything but that," I corrected.

Skulduggery turned in his seat and looked at Fletcher. If he had a face, it would probably have looked shocked, although, you never knew with Skulduggery. Another thing was that the car never swerved once.

His skull turned towards me. "How does he know?" Skulduggery asked.

I turned around in my seat and glared at Nye.

"Him," I growled.

"Oh," Skulduggery said, turning back towards the road. Without looking at him, Skulduggery said to Nye, "you and I are going to have words when all this is finished."

I didn't think it was possible, but Nye seemed to cower in his seat even more when Skulduggery said that.

The rest of the ride was silent.

We speedily rode past green countryside and eventually went into town. Skulduggery stopped by the British Sanctuary's entrance.

"No," I said as Skulduggery started climbing out of the car.

He looked at me in confusion.

"This is the Irish Sanctuary's problem. We need to go there," I explained.

Skulduggery contemplated this for a moment.

"What about Tanith and Sanguine?" he asked, "they need to be taken care of."

"They're probably gone by now. Far, far away. We would probably just be wasting their time," I lied.

Tanith had knock Sanguine to the head pretty hard. He probably wouldn't be waking up for a couple of hours. But I felt like I had to do something for Tanith. Now we're even.

Skulduggery didn't ask questions. He just nodded his head and drove away.

"Fletcher," Skulduggery said, "I'm going to park this car in a safe place and you're going to have to teleport us there."

"I really don't feel up to it. I mean I just got kidnapped and-"

Skulduggery interrupted him. "That wasn't an option."

The way he said it made Fletcher silent.

Soon we made it to a parking lot outside a busy shopping centre. Skulduggery drove the car through the labyrinth-like parking lot and then parked the car. He tapped his collarbones and wax-like skin flowed upwards, encasing his skull. We got out and, making sure nobody was looking, Skulduggery quickly placed the keys to the car into the exhaust pipe.

We headed out of the parking lot and into the busy street.

Soon we found a dark alleyway and headed halfway down it.

Holding hands, I soon felt the dizzying sensation that came with teleporting.

We arrived inside the sanctuary, facing the chairs of the Council of Elders.

Four cleavers sprang at us.

"Damn. Again!" Fletcher muttered.

"Cleavers, they are welcome," Erskine said from his place on the middle chair, his voice booming in the cavernous space of the room.

The cleavers immediately fell back.

Erskine regarded us. His expression became slightly confused when he saw Nye.

The same was with Madame Mist and Ghastly who sat to Erskine's left and right.

"Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Fletcher," Erskine began, "I trust everything went well with your case."

"Well not exactly…" Skulduggery said.

Erskine raised an eyebrow.

Skulduggery turned to me.

"Ask her all your questions. I have some questions for myself as well."

Now everyone in the room faced me. Except for the cleavers, of course. They still stared blankly ahead but I could almost feel their eyes upon me, hidden by their visors.

I began my story, telling everyone everything. Except for the Darquesse part. Nye didn't say anything because he knew Skulduggery would rip him to shreds if he did.

I finished my story, out of breath. Erskine straightened up from his former position- he was leaning towards me, absorbing the information I gave him. The same was with Ghastly. Madame Mist, however, stayed in her position through the whole story, her posture impeccable.

Erskine seemed to look in to space for a few minutes as he regarded the information I had fed him. When he came back from his trance, he turned away from me and stared intently at Nye.

"Valkyrie, why did you spare this miserable creature's life?" Erskine asked me without looking away from Nye. His voice was incredibly calm.

"Well I figured that we still needed a doctor for the Sanctuary. Nye should still work here, but we should station three cleavers with him at all times."

Erskine digested this.

"Yes, but what if he decides to 'accidentally lose' one of his patients?"

Madame Mist answered that one.

"If he loses a life while working on someone, we order the cleavers to kill him," she said emotionlessly.

Nye started to object but Ghastly's voice echoed throughout the room.

"Enough!" he boomed, "the council of elder's have spoken, you may leave."

He pointed to three cleavers.

"You, you and you. Escort Doctor Nye here to the Hibernian Cinema."

The cleavers immediately sprang to action, forming a triangle around Nye and immediately marching off.

"Do you have anything else to discuss?" Ghastly asked.

"No thank you," Skulduggery said politely.

"Then you may go," Ghastly said.

Fletcher took hold of mine and Skulduggery's shoulders and we arrived in Skulduggery's living room.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N- Hey fanfictionado's  
>Lol what?<br>Anyway… Hope you like this part!  
>Rawr rawr rawr rawr.<strong>

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy is the Skulduggery god.**

I slept for a long time that night.

As soon as we arrived in one of Skulduggery's many living rooms, I immediately stumbled to the sofa. During the teleportation here, all of my exhaustion hit me at once, leaving me dead on my feet. No pun intended, of course.

My dreams were vivid.

I was in a burning city that looked familiar. The smoke coming from the many fires that were raging blotted out the sun and the sky, leaving us in a murky world.

I was running for no apparent reason, but I found that I couldn't stop.

I was breathing fast and heavily, though I was choking on every other breath from the smoke.

I jumped back as a lamppost fell across my path, almost crushing me.

I ran on.

There was a wall of flame blocking my path and I tried to extinguish it with magic. I splayed my hands but I couldn't feel the interconnecting strands of air to push.

It seemed I had no power over the elements in this dream-world of mine.

Just to make sure, I clicked my fingers.

No spark came.

I felt the necromancer ring cold and hard on my finger. I tried collecting the shadows around me to cover and extinguish the flame, but the shadows didn't come to my call.

I had no magic.

As soon as I realised that, my feet were flying in a different direction.

I ran further into the city, further into the flames. My mind was screaming at me. It said to get away from the flames, to save myself, but my feet wouldn't listen. It was like I was possessed.

Then I heard something.

As I ran further into the flames, the stronger the sound was.

Then I realised.

The sounds were screams.

I ran into a square of some sort. The square was filled with people of all shapes and sizes. Babies, adults, teenagers.

That was when I saw China Sorrows.

She was using the symbols tattooed all over her body to send shockwaves out of her. I looked at the perimeter of the square and saw that there was a multitude of magic-users. They were using their magic in front of the mortals.

But why?

I realised that they must be protecting the mortals that were screaming in the square.

But from what?

I scanned the multitude of magic-users again and realised that there were no necromancers defending the mortals.

Suddenly, a mage went hurtling off into the distance, screaming. Another soon followed and two more after that.

Then _she _came.

She came striding in with dozens of darkly-clad figures trailing behind her.

Necromancers.

It was Darquesse.

But what would the necromancers want with her?

Then it dawned on me. Darquesse was their Death Bringer. The person who, in their eyes, would save the world.

I knew she would only destroy it.

Because she was me and I was her.

A figure ran at Darquesse, brandishing a sword and yelling a battle cry.

Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a woman.

My mouth fell open as I realised that it was _Tanith_.

My mind scrambled for answers. The remnant inside Tanith would have never attacked Darquesse. Darquesse was its god.

I soared with joy as I realised that this Tanith didn't have the remnant inside her.

Somehow she had gotten it out of her.

But my joy diminished when I realised something.

She was going for Darquesse.

She was going to get herself killed.

I ran down to the square, pushing people out of my way in my haste to get to Tanith. They were so scared that they didn't even dare utter a word of complaint.

I was too late.

As soon as I breached the huddle of mortals, Tanith was three quarters of the way there and Darquesse was lazily raising her hand, as if to flick a pesky fly away.

Her hand halted.

Darquesse seemed to have a look of confusion on her face, as if she didn't know what was going on.

My spirits rose, thinking we had a chance.

Only for them to be crushed as a necromancer pushed a wall of shadow at her, sending her flying into a nearby wall.

The moment of confusion had passed from Darquesse and she strode three steps forward, moving with the utmost confidence.

She turned my way, as if she could see me and gave me an evil grin.

Then she erupted in a cloud of shadows and the necromancers rushed forward, following the orders of their saviour.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N- Wassup everybody?**

**Paramore's awesome, that's what's up.**

**Well…. Enjoy this part! It's a bit short but OH WELL. BUILD A BRIDGE AND GET OVER IT.**

**Sorry about that. Random things make me angry.**

**Waffles.**

**AAAARRRGGGGHHHHHH!**

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant. Derek Landy does. Who is extremely kick-ass.**

I shot up into a sitting position on the sofa, sweating buckets and breathing heavily.

'It was just a dream. Only a dream' kept going through my head like a mantra.

I looked at Skulduggery but thankfully he was deep in meditation.

Fletcher was another matter.

Before I woke up, he was on a different sofa, dozing. When he heard the springs of the sofa I was sleeping on creak loudly and my heavy breathing, he immediately teleported to my side.

"What's wrong?" he asked, spreading his arms wide in an effort to protect me and his eyes searching around us for any sign of danger.

"Nothing, Fletcher. It was just a bad dream," I sighed, pushing away his arms.

"But I heard you scream," he said with a puzzled expression.

Oh. I screamed?

"Just a bad dream, Fletcher."

"I heard you mumbling in your sleep as well," came Skulduggery's voice from the corner.

Guess he wasn't meditating.

"What was I saying?" I asked.

"Stuff like 'Darquesse' and 'necromancers' and 'The Death Bringer'. You also added a few 'Fletcher's' in there as well.

My eyes went wide and my face went red.

"W-what?" Fletcher asked, his face also a slight shade of pink.

"I'm joking," Skulduggery said.

"Ugh! Skulduggery!" I yelled, hitting his arm.

Skulduggery just shrugged.

"Anyway, how do all these fit together?" Skulduggery asked.

I relayed them my dream.

Skulduggery's face was straight, as always, but Fletcher's face was bone-white.

"Why didn't I see this before? It makes perfect sense," Skulduggery muttered to himself.

"What does this mean?" I asked him.

"I don't know," Skulduggery said, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Well I know one thing," Fletcher said.

We both turned to him with surprised expressions.

He faced Skulduggery.

"You're going to have to talk to China Sorrows."

"No," Skulduggery said calmly. Too calmly.

"Why not?" Fletcher asked, "If China was forefront in Valkyrie's dream, she has to be important."

"Because we don't know if that was a vision yet, all we know is that Valkyrie's subconscious is very smart," Skulduggery said in that same terrifyingly calm voice.

"But what if it was?" Fletcher asked, his voice rising, "what if it was a vision? We need China on our side, even if you do hold a grudge over her!"

Skulduggery snapped.

"She killed my wife and kid!" he roared, "I will never forgive her!"

"What if it was for the sake of the entire world?" Fletcher yelled back.

Skulduggery lunged but Fletcher disappeared just in time.

"I'm going to kill him," I heard Skulduggery mutter under his breath.

"Skulduggery!" I yelled.

He looked over at me, his skull blank.

"I think Fletcher's right," I whispered.

Skulduggery began to fly. He propelled himself up and headed for the doorway.

I took hold of his foot.

He looked down at me.

"Skulduggery," I began slowly, "I know it's hard to forget those you love, but this is one of those times where you have to. Forgive and forget. China was bad then, but now she's good. Just like you."

He tilted his head, looking at me quizzically.

"How so?" he asked.

"You were Lord Vile, but now you're good. Just like I'm trying to be good but I now that somehow, someday, I'll turn into Darquesse and kill lots of people."

Skulduggery floated down and I let go of his foot. Once he was on the ground, he grabbed my shoulders.

"Valkyrie. I am still a very, very bad person," he said slowly.

"I do not believe that," I said fiercely.

Skulduggery sighed and let go of my shoulders just as Fletcher flashed back into the room.

"Is it safe now?" he asked when Skulduggery didn't leap at him.

"Yes, Fletcher. I won't kill you," Skulduggery sighed. Fletcher instantly relaxed.

"So what's happening?" Fletcher asked, sitting down.

"We're paying a visit to China Sorrows."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- Hi everyone! **

**I know it's been a while since I've posted but… Okay I have no excuse. The only reason was because I had absolute total writers block. Seriously, I was complaining about it all the time. But I FINALLY got over it and now I bring you this!**

**So… Hope you like it! XD**

**And another thing, I'm writing a story with my friend and neighbour Libby (SSAOneDirectionReidNiallHoran). You should check it out! **

**I do totally own Skulduggery Pleasant! Lol jokes, I'm not that awesome! The real owner is Derek Landy ;)**

We arrived at the location of China's new library. It wasn't hard to find the library as the council of elders had been keeping tabs on her. What was challenging was getting the address of the library out of the council of elders. They knew all about what China did and what Skulduggery would do to her and they didn't want to lose their prime source of information. But once Skulduggery convinced them that he wouldn't murder China, then it was all easy goings from there.

"Quite a small place, isn't it," said Skulduggery, looking up at the small row of shabby apartment buildings that housed China's new library.

"So was her last one," I said, "we live in a magical world, Skulduggery. Looks can be deceiving."

"Right," said Skulduggery, making his way in.

The inside of the apartment buildings were just like any other, only grimier. They had bold, black letters on the grubby doors, signifying what room it was. Most of these letters had fallen off or was hanging lopsided.

We made it up several flights of stairs before we got to the door that held China's library behind it. The door was marked with the letter '113'.

Skulduggery lightly knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, it opened.

Revealing China Sorrows herself.

Her eyes widened before settling back to their bored state, but she was always good at hiding her emotions. I glanced at Skulduggery's face to find it was also blank.

"Come in," said China, stepping away from the door.

Skulduggery strode in without hesitation, followed by me and Fletcher.

We settled on a sofa and China settled on the sofa opposite us.

I looked around at her new library. There was still an impressive amount of books, she obviously had some in storage and had been working hard over the past few weeks, but it was a meagre amount compared to the amount of books she had before.

China cleared her throat.

"So, have you changed your mind and decided to finish me off?" she asked.

"No," I said after a slight pause.

"I wasn't talking to you, Valkyrie. I was talking to him," she said, inclining her head towards Skulduggery.

"No, China. I am not here to kill you," he said in a calm voice.

"Then why are you here all of a sudden? It probably isn't for information; I know you've been getting it from different sources these past few months."

That's China. Knowing everything.

"We recently went to a sensitive to see if there were any updates on the whole Darquesse situation."

We decided not to tell China about me having the vision. She still doesn't know about me being Darquesse and she's still not to be trusted.

"Yes…" Said China.

"Well this is going to be bigger than we thought."

China scoffed. "Bigger than the end of the world?" she asked.

"Yes," Skulduggery said, "because the necromancers are going to side with her."

That shut China up.

"The necromancers are going to take Darquesse on as their death bringer. This is the almighty being from their legends that will save their world. They will do anything for her."

"Where do I come in in all of this?" China asked.

"The sensitive had a vision of all of this. The necromancers, the end of the world. But what they also saw was that you were fighting for us. We've come to see if you still fight for our side."

China leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

"I knew this wasn't just a happy visit between two old friends." She said, a slight smirk on her face.

"China, this isn't time for your games. This is the fate of the world," Skulduggery growled, "Will you fight for us or not?"

China opened her eyes and leaned forward in her seat, Skulduggery doing the same.

"I've always claimed I was neutral. But you always pull me back into the thick of things. Yes, Skulduggery Pleasant, skeleton detective. I will fight for you."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Guess what?  
>I'm baaaccckkk<br>I missed all of you :D  
>So… I kinda fell out with writing for a little bit… I just didn't have the will to do another chapter… BUT one day I checked my emails, and I got a review from someone (you know who you are :D) right out of the blue! They told me that they loved my writing and to continue and that made me conjure up the will to write another chapter of this wonderful story of mine :D<br>So, remember to review, so I will have the will to write more  
>(P.S. Like the new pen name? ;D)<strong>

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, although I enjoy his witty escapades very much so c;**

"Well that was easier than I thought," Fletcher said while we were walking out of the ratty apartment buildings. We had just exchanged brief goodbyes with China before walking out of her library with an air of triumph.

"No, I didn't think it would be that hard," I said lightly.

"How come?" Fletcher said, looking down at me.

"She's always been on our side, even when she said she was neutral," I said, "China's good, even though sometimes she does bad things."

I looked over to Skulduggery to see that his wax face was blank. I knew to not push it. What he just did was hard.

I grabbed hold of Fletcher's hand and held my other out for Skulduggery. I looked up at him quizzically when he didn't take it.

"I've got an errand to run," he said without looking at me, "Fletcher, pick her up in the morning and bring her to my place. We still have a lot of stuff to discuss and I want to show Valkyrie some new tricks I've learned."

Before I could say 'okay', we had already teleported and were in my room. The sun was just now setting over the horizon, making the sky take on beautiful hues of orange, pink and purple.

I turned back to Fletcher, who was looking at me with a look on his face.

"What?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. I could hear the equally-paced steps of the reflection coming up the stairs.

Fletcher came closer, staring into my eyes. I was getting a bit uncomfortable and looked away. I quickly glanced back.

And he kissed me.

It reminded me of hot summer days in Australia when we would get ice cream and nights in Italy where he would get us pizza.

He pulled away. And vanished.

I stood there in a dazed state, trying to process what happened. The squeak of the door pulled me back to my senses. The reflection stood there and I thought I saw a flash of surprise fly across her features before it settled into an indifferent mask.

Must've been a trick of the light.

She asked no questions. Just the same old, "Do you want to resume your life?"

I nodded my head sleepily. Too many things have happened today. I watched as my reflection climbed in the mirror before I put on my jersey and shorts.

I climbed into bed, a thousand things jumbling in my mind. When will the date of the battle be? How can I prevent it? Can I prevent it? Where was Skulduggery and why did Fletcher kiss me? And, as I thought back to one of the earliest visions of Darquesse, how can I save my parents from myself? And, thinking about it, where was Alice when all this happened? I haven't seen her in any visions yet.

I turned over and my stomach rumbled but I ignored it. So many questions unanswered. So many things we were yet to find out. We were still in the dark when the monster is coming at us full speed. I looked at my desk, which still held the dream in which I found out I was Darquesse. I never had the strength to throw it out.

It still whispered to me, but I have learned to shut it out.

I closed my eyes. Sleep was coming, I could feel it. My thoughts became fuzzy and out of reach. My subconscious was taking over.

The dream came. 


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I TOLD YOU I WAS POSTING!  
>See- a post!<br>Right down there :D  
>Hope you like it!<br>REVIEW PLEASE!  
>I love reviews :3<strong>

**I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant. Derek Landy does.**

I was in one of those dreams where you knew it was a dream. A lucid dream. I was aware. I could hear the sounds of battle raging around me, loud as an avalanche yet strangely distant, as if my ears were disconnected from my body.

I turned around. People were fighting. It seems I had arrived right where I left of the last dream. Adepts, elementals and even children of the spider were battling necromancers. The necromancers were horribly outnumbered and the mix would have beaten them if it wasn't for Darquesse. I could see her at the edges of the battle, just watching. Occasionally flicking her wrist to take care of some of the more tough specimens.

I could see lots of blood and bodies and bone. There wasn't a square inch of ground that wasn't covered in blood. The sky was still clouded by the haze of smoke which seemed to make everyone lethargic. They were slowed down, tears blurring their eyes and lungs screaming for fresh, cool air.

I couldn't see any of the mortals. The magic-users probably smuggled them out.

Or they were dead.

I saw something flying at me. I was too late to duck, so I just closed my eyes and waited for the bone-shattering impact.

Nothing happened.

I opened my eyes again and saw that the thing- I think it was a necromancer- went straight through me. Like I was a ghost. Some sort of apparition.

Coming back from that realisation, I went up to the person who threw the necromancer. It was Ghastly and he was breathing very heavily, his muscles rippling and his heavily scarred face twisted into a mask of complete exhaustion.

"Ghastly!" I called when I was a few feet away from him. It seemed he didn't hear me, which was not impossible. The sounds of the battle were very loud.

I ran up beside him and yelled his name in his ear.

Nothing.

I waved my hand in front of his face but, even though he was staring straight down at it, he seemed to not have seen it.

I guess I'm invisible, too.

Darquesse had risen high in the sky, observing the lesser beings that surrounded her. She gazed at them with no emotion at all, just a calculating expression as her long, ebony hair danced in the storm of power that cracked and sizzled around her.

Suddenly, her gaze whipped across the sea of bodies to land straight on my spectral appearance. Dark, soulless eyes met with mine and I could feel myself being pulled towards them, into their seemingly bottomless depths.

I woke up in my own bed, again sweating and breathing heavily. The sun was just beginning to make its way over the horizon.

I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, getting in the shower and drowning the memories of the dream in steaming hot water.

Nothing really changed that dream. I could see the carnage and destruction that Darquesse would cause but I had seen that in my other dream. I went through all the details on my head, to see if I could get a clue about what would happen in the battle. I kept on being pulled back to the memory of me staring into the obsidian eyes of Darquesse. Something other than her cold indifference and curiosity sparked there. It was cold, hard fury. But directed at what?

I was pulled out of my reverie by a banging on the door.

"Stephanie?" mum called from the other side. I immediately relaxed from my tensed position.

"Yes, mum?" I called over the sound of the water running from the showerhead.

"We're going out today, so get ready!"

"Okay mum," I called back. It wasn't me that was going out with my parents, it was my reflection.

I turned the shower off and hopped out. I caught a glance in the mirror- the first glance of my real self I had in ages- and gasped.

A long white line ran along the line of my cheekbone. It was the scar from Sanguine's blade. I dimly remembered that the scars from his straight-razor didn't heal.

I was too caught up in all the excitement from being kidnapped to really notice the gash on my cheek, but now that I do, I wondered how my parents would take it and I prayed that the reflection would not take on this particular feature.

I hurried to my room and drew my reflection out of the mirror. I grimaced when she walked out with a fresh scar that wasn't there yesterday.

"You have a new scar," she said with a tone of indifference as we got dressed.

"So do you," I retorted.

"You don't want mum and dad to see, do you?" she asked.

"No, it would cause them to ask questions," I replied.

She walked over to our desk and opened one of the draws. She pulled out some makeup.

"Where'd you get that?" I asked, bewildered.

"Mum took me shopping," she said with a shrug. She started dabbing the makeup on top of the scar. She looked over to me. "Want some?" she asked.

I grimaced. "No thank you," I said.

She shrugged again and continued putting the make up on. I heard a pop as Fletcher appeared in the room.

"You ready?" he asked me, peering quizzically at the Reflection.

"You could have told me I had a very discernable scar in the middle of my face," I said with an eyebrow raised.

Fletcher shrugged and took my arm. "I thought you knew," he said, just before we teleported into Skulduggery's home.

Skulduggery looked at us. "Nice of you to knock," he said.

I sat on one of the sofas. "What's the plan for today?" I asked, ignoring his previous sarcasm.

"Training," Skulduggery said.

Fletcher groaned.


End file.
